Infant&#39;s bathing device



July 8, 1958 B. H. KENNEDY INFANTS BATHING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 30, 1956 [Ill/11111111); r III/11111143 INVENTOR. BENJAMIN H. KENNEDY 25M was ATTORNEYS July 8, 1958 B. H. KENNEDY INFANTS BATHING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 50, 1956 INVENTOR. BENJAMIN H. KENNEDY BY 5M Hm ATTORNEYS United States Patent INFANTS BATHING DEVICE Benjamin H. Kennedy, Pittsford, N. Y., assignor of onehalf to Ann M. Kennedy, Rochester, N. Y.

Application July 30, 1956, Serial No. 600,953

6 Claims. (Cl. 4-177) This invention relates to infants bathing devices of the type which includes a flexible tub and a foldable support therefor.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of tub and connection thereof with the ,support which renders it more convenient to clean the tub and facilitates the drainage of water therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved construction for fastening the end walls of the tub and folds between the end and side walls to the support which permits of the convenient release thereof from the support for cleaning the tub and drainage of water through one end thereof.

The invention comprises a flexible tub connected with a support along opposite longitudinal sides and with the end walls of the tub releasably connected with the support to permit of the convenient release thereof for cleaning and for drainage of the Water through an end wall thereof. One of the end walls is provided with a drain outlet adjacent the top thereof and with an auxiliary wall which forms an end wall when the end wall-to which it is attached is released from the support to thereby permit of the drainage of the water through the drain outlet.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, reference is now made to the following specification and accompanying drawings in which the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an infants bathing device constructed in accordance with the inven tion and showing the support with parts broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view showing one end wall released from the support for drainage of the water from the tub.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken approximately on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4- is an enlarged sectional view taken approximately on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the device showing one of the end walls of the tub released from the support.

Fig. 6 is a view in elevation of one end of the tub.

Referring to the drawings, the infants bathing device includes a foldable tub 10 fashioned from a substantially rectangular sheet of flexible material which is coated to render the same waterproof. The tub is supported by a collapsible support consisting of two pairs of cross-legs 11 and 12 which are pivotally connected intermediate their length on pivot pins 13. The legs 11 are connected together by upper and lower longitudinally extending rails 14 and t5 and the legs 12 are connected together by upper and lower longiiudinaliy extending rails 16 and 17. The opposite longitudinal edges of the tub are looped to form tunnels through which the upper longitudinally extending rails 14 and 16 extend for supporting the side walls 18 of the tub.

The tub being fashioned from a rectangular sheet of material, an important feature of the invention is the attachment of the ends of the sheet to the upper longi tudinally extending rails to form the end walls 19 and 20 of the tub. The ends of the sheet are formed with folds 21 which are arranged one on each side of the end walls adjacent the juncture with the side walls. The folds 21 project into the tub and are permanently fastened together by grommets 22. The end walls are provided with reinforcing strips 23 of woven tape and the like which are secured to upper edge portions thereof and terminate in free end portions 24. The end portions 24 are spaced from the folds 21 and are provided with grommets 25.

In order to secure the end walls in tub forming relation, means is provided on the upper longitudinally extending rails 14 and 16 for engagement with the grommets 22 and 25. Preferably upstanding studs 26 are secured to the longitudinally extending rails 14 and 16 which are adapted to extend through the grommets and to retain the grommets in position thereon by heads 27 swivelly connected to the tops of the studs. This construction provides means by which the end walls 19 and 20 may be conveniently released for disposing the side Walls in alignment with the bottom and side Walls of the tub for facilitating the cleaning of the inside of the tub. In addition thereto, one of the end walls may be readily released from the studs for drainage of the the studs 26. This positions the end wall 19 in alignment with the bottom and side walls 18 of the tub and with the auxiliary flap 30 disposed in upstanding relation as shown in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawings. The water in the tub may then be drained through the discharge outlet 29 which is located beyond the end of the support. The discharge outlet 29 is formed by a grommet 31 having a cylindrical inner periphery 32 for directing the water downwardly in a solid stream whereby the same may be discharged into a bucket without splashing. The auxiliary flap 30 is also provided with a grommet 33 which forms a finger grip for holding the said flap when desired.

The end walls 19 and 20 are disposed in tub formation by first aflixing the grommets 25 of the reinforcing strips 23 to the studs 26 and then afiixing the grommets 22 of the folds 21 to the studs, after which the heads 27 are turned to retain the grommets in position thereon. The

slackness in the sheet at the juncture of the side and end walls forms double pleats at the sides of the end walls, the folds 21 forming one of the double pleats at each side, while folds 34 form the other of the double pleats at each side as shown in Fig. 4. i

It will be understood that the pleats are located within the tub and are opened when released from the studs so as to facilitate cleaning and maintaining the tub in a sanitary condition. Furthermore, the pleats are retained in position by the studs and the strain on the pleats and end walls when the tub is filled with water is taken up by the studs and thus removed from the material of the tub. The engagement of the end walls with the studs also functions to facilitate the release of the end walls for cleaning and drainage and for securing the end walls in tub forming relation.

While the prefer-red form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it is to be understood that the same is not so limited but shall cover and include any and all modifications thereof which fall within the purview of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an infants bathing device, a support including front and: rear longitudinally extending rails, a flexible tub having opposite longitudinally extending side portions secured to said top rails, said tub having end walls provided with folds at the opposite sides thereof, apertured means securing said folds together respectively, a reinforcing strip secured to and extending across the outer portion of each of said-end walls and having free apertured end portions, and means carried by said top rails releasably engaging through the apertured end portions of said strips and through the apertured means of said folds for detaining the end walls of the tub in upwardly extending tub forming formation with the slackness on opposite sides of said end walls forming pleats with said folds.

2. In an infants bathing device, a support including front and rear longitudinally extending rails, a flexible tub having opposite longitudinally extending side portions secured to said top rails, said tub having end walls provided with folds at the opposite sides thereof, apertured means securing said folds together respectively, a reinforcing strip secured to and extending across the outer portion of each of said end walls and having free apertured end portions, upstanding studs carried by said top rails adjacent the ends thereof engaging through the apertured end portions of said strips and through the apertured means of said folds for retaining the end walls in upwardly extending tub forming relation with the slackness of the material on opposite sides of the end walls forming pleats with said folds, and means carried by said studs releasably securing said strips and said folds on said studs.

3. In an infants bathing device, a support including front and rear longitudinally extending rails, a tub fashioned from a sheet of flexible material having opposite longitudinally extending side portions secured to said top rails with the opposite ends of said sheet forming the end walls of the tub, a fold in said sheet at opposite sides of each end wall, apertured means securing said folds together respectively, a reinforcing strip secured to and extending across the outer portion of each of said end walls with theend portions of said strips being free and having apertures therethrough, and means carried by said top rails releasably engaging through the apertured ends of said strips and through the apertured means of said folds for retaining the ends of the sheet in upwardly extending tub forming formation with the slackness of the material on opposite sides of the end walls forming pleats with said folds.

4. In an infants bathing device, a support including front and rear longitudinally extending rails, a tub fashioned from a sheet of flexible material having opposite longitudinally extending side portions secured to said top rails with the opposite ends of said sheet forming the end walls of the tub, a fold in said sheet at opposite sides of each end wall, apertured means securing said folds together respectively, a reinforcing strip secured to and extending across the outer portion of each of said end walls with the end portions of said strips being free and having apertures therethrough, upstanding studs carried by said top rails adjacent the ends thereof engaging through the apertured end portions of said strips and through the apertured means of said folds for retaining the end walls in upwardly extending tub forming relation with the slackness of the material on opposite sides of the end walls forming pleats with said folds, and means carried by said studs releasably securing said strips and said folds on said studs.

5. In an infants bathing device, a support including front and rear longitudinally extending rails, a flexible tub having opposite longitudinally extending side portions secured to' said top rails, said tub having end walls provided with folds at the opposite sides thereof, apertured means securing said folds together respectively, a reinforcing strip secured to and extending across the outer portion of each of said end walls and having free apertured end portions, means carried by said top rails releasably engaging through the apertured end portions of said strips and through the apertured means of said folds for retaining the end walls of the tub in upwardly extending tub forming formation with the slackness on opposite sides of said end walls forming pleats with said folds, one of said end walls having an extension provided with a discharge opening, and an auxiliary flap secured to said extension and to said end wall forming an upstanding wall when the end wall to which it is attached is released from engagement with said means for discharging the water in the tub through said discharge opening.

6. In an infants bathing device, a support including front and rear longitudinally extending rails, a tub fashioned from a sheet of flexible material having opposite longitudinally extending side portions secured to said top rails with the opposite ends of said sheet forming the end walls of the tub, a fold at opposite sides of at least one of said end walls, apertured means securing said folds together respectively, a reinforcing strip secured to and extending across the outer portion of said last mentioned end wall with the end portions of said strip being free and having apertures therethrough, upstanding studs carried by said top rails engaging through apertured end portions of said strip and through the apertured means of said folds for retaining the said last mentioned end wall in upwardly extending tub forming relation with the slackness of the material on opposite sides of said end wall forming pleats with said folds, said last mentioned end wall having an extension provided with a discharge opening, and an auxiliary flap secured to said extension and to said last mentioned end wall forming an upstanding wall when the end wall to which it is attached is released from engagement with said studs for discharging the water in the tub through said discharge opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

